"We are honoured to be recognised by experts in the financial services industry for the quality of our portfolio of products and our commitment to empowering our members to live healthier lives wherever in the world they may be"

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET), a leading global diversified health care solutions company, has been named "Best International Private Health Insurance Provider" for 2013 by Professional Adviser, a leading publication for financial advisers and insurance brokers in the United Kingdom.

In recognising Aetna, the magazine pointed to the company's size and strength in expanding affordable and quality health care cover internationally. Aetna's global health care benefits support more than 500,000 members living in almost every country in the world.

Aetna also was cited for its use of technology to help its members easily access health care information.

"We are honoured to be recognised by experts in the financial services industry for the quality of our portfolio of products and our commitment to empowering our members to live healthier lives wherever in the world they may be," said David Healy, Aetna International's general manager, Europe. "Our goal is to give people easy access to affordable, high-quality medical care and provide them with the tools to maintain good health."

An independent panel of financial and insurance industry experts based their award decision on a wide range of criteria, including transparency, ease of use, and appropriateness and flexibility of products and services.

Deborah Benn, a financial journalist and chair of the judging panel, said, "In a complex, global regulatory environment, Aetna delivers smart health care solutions that meet the needs of its customers and the ever-evolving compliance requirements of countries around the world. We were impressed with Aetna's focus on technology as a way of helping people address their health issues and lower costs for its customers. Of particular note is its mobile app that lets its members locate direct settlement health care providers all over the world."

Now in its 14th year, the Professional Adviser International Fund & Product Awards honours firms that offer financial and insurance products and services internationally.

About Aetna International

Aetna International is committed to helping create a stronger, healthier global community by delivering comprehensive health benefits and health management solutions worldwide. Aetna International's expatriate business is one of the industry's largest and most prominent international health benefits providers, supporting more than 500,000 members worldwide. The organisation's expatriate offerings include medical, dental, vision, life, disability and emergency assistance. Aetna International's health management business collaborates with health care systems, government entities and plan sponsors around the world to design and build locally applied health management solutions to improve health, quality and cost outcomes. For more information, see www.aetnainternational.com.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the United States' leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 44 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology services. Aetna's customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labour groups and expatriates.www.aetna.com.

distributed by